#SecretRecipeClub & #MuffinMonday ~ Pumpkin Applesauce Muffins

Today I am sharing my monthly Secret Recipe Club and Muffin Monday post all-in-one; so I went straight to my assigned blog Karen's Kitchen Stories to check what yummy muffins she had on her blog to choose from and immediately jumped to the Double Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins, but there were also these Pumpkin Applesauce Muffins... guess what I chose! T'is the season for all things pumpkin (and stay tuned, the blog is going to be inundated over the coming week with them thanks to #pumpkinweek)!

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all our of lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday, can be found on our home page.

Learn more about Karen here. She is a married, busy HR lady /recruiter who also teaches college courses part time, mom of two grown children, and proud grandma to two adorable boys who resides in Southern California (I used to live in SoCal many many moons ago at Camp Pendleton - I still miss the gorgeous weather and beautiful ocean view we had from our home).

 

These muffins are pretty spectacular; very moist and so perfectly flavorful! I loved the spices in this recipe; they have just the right amount of flavor from all those lovely spices. (My 16 year old son says these are the best muffins he's had in a long time - high praise indeed!)

I am kind of obsessed with all things pumpkin, and of course now that we are at the tail end of September it is the appropriate time to allow my obsession to come on out and play! I always stockpile pumpkin puree when it goes on sale after Thanksgiving, and love to use it in various muffins and breads throughout the year, but when September / October hits every version of pumpkin is fair game. Pumpkin Monkey Bread and a Pumpkin Chicken Stew will be shared very soon... yumm...

Anyhow, enough with my pumpkin craziness - back to these muffins!

As you can see my official baby taste tester also gives her big seal of approval. She's been getting about half a muffin as a snack, or with breakfast or dinner most days since we made these. These are very versatile and everyone in the house has really been enjoying them. It makes a pretty large batch, so you can put some in ziploc bags and freeze them after baking if desired. Then thaw and enjoy all over again at a later date!

Pumpkin Applesauce Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories

Makes about 21 muffins.

Ingredients

Cooking spray

3 1/3 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground clove

1/2 tsp nutmeg (I suggest freshly grated)

1 tsp salt

8 TBS unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 cup applesauce

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 tsp vanilla 

2/3 cup apple juice

1 1/2 cup golden raisins (optional - I omitted)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and fill approximately 21 - 24 regular sized muffin tin openings with cupcake liners / or spray the muffin tins generously with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg, and salt - set aside. 
3. Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and blend on high speed with the paddle attachment for about 3 minutes, or until creamy. Add in the eggs, applesauce, pumpkin, and vanilla, and continue beating until ingredients are well blended.
4. Next add in half of the dry ingredients, mix, add in the juice and mix, add the second half of the dry ingredients and mix again until smooth. Don't overmix.
5. Fold in the raisins (if using).
6. Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full. Bake on the center rack (one pan at a time) for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. 
7. Allow the muffins to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before removing them and allowing them to finish cooling on a wire rack. Serve muffins warm or room temp.

• Apple Oatmeal and Goat Cheese Muffins from The Spiced Life
• Apple Oatmeal, A Whole Grain Muffin from Farm Fresh Feasts
• Apple Zucchini Muffins from Love and Confections
• Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Cornbread Bacon Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Peach and Pumpkin Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Pumpkin Applesauce Muffins from Making Miracles
• Pumpkin Butterscotch Muffins from Kelli's Kitchen
• Pumpkin Spice Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm

An InLinkz Link-up